Stefan 48 - LumenaConecto

Interview Stefan 48 years

Internship to work

Stefan is one of the participants in Lumena who, thanks to the Supported Employment method, has been given an internship that will most likely lead to employment after the internship. His path has been long and winding, but today he is free from gambling addiction. He has also received psychiatric support for depression and exhaustion and now has a bright future.

What support did you receive before Lumena and how did you get involved in the project?

Before I joined Lumena, I had a couple of meetings with the Samsund Co-ordination Association. It was the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Public Employment Service and the social services working together. They advised me that a project called Lumena was being set up. They asked if I wanted to apply. It was going to be an even bigger spectrum, where all the organisations would really cooperate.

How did you feel and what was your living situation before Lumena?

The economy was a mess. I had been walking around for two and a half years with no income at all and felt rubbish because of it.

I had a huge problem. I used to be super sociable, but that went out the kitchen window. I would make a date with a friend and five minutes before I felt like I couldn't go, I couldn't cope. Luckily, I have very good friends who understood that okay, everything we book is provisional.

Did you have contact with psychiatry before?

Firstly, I had contact with the adult unit here in Järfälla because of gambling addiction. I received treatment for it. I went once or twice a week before it was considered that I was ready.

Before joining the project, what opportunities did you feel you had to influence your life?

Det som saknades innan jag gick med i projektet, det var ju orken. Jag visste mycket väl vad som behövde göras men jag hade inte orkan att tag i det. Sen fick jag min SE-handledare från Lumena och hon beskrev sig själv som ”Jag är den som du skickar fram när folk bråkar med dig”.

What was missing before I joined the project was the energy. I knew very well what needed to be done, but I didn't have the energy to tackle it.

So you had no one to fight for you before?

No, I didn't. I had to fight the battle myself and I didn't have the energy for that, I wasn't there mentally. I knew what had to be done, but in that situation there is a big difference between what needs to be done and doing it. You kind of feel that "it's just hard".

I had to fight the battle myself and I didn't have the energy, I wasn't there mentally.

It can be difficult to know which end to start at?

Yes, you know there are a thousand things to fix. But if you have a big ball of yarn - which end do you start pulling? It gets confusing. Before I got help from Lumena, when I was at my worst, I had to prepare myself for two days to go and shower. Then it was like "Yes, I have to shower, but it's a long way to the shower". I had to mentally prepare myself for "Tomorrow we'll do this, get your act together". If I had a good day, it was fine to do that, if I had a bad day, I thought "Yes, but it's possible tomorrow too".

Did you know your rights before joining the project?

I had zero control and I was really caught between two stools. I wasn't entitled to anything in terms of benefits and income. At the height of my gambling addiction, I stopped paying into the unemployment fund, otherwise it would have been a piece of cake. But all of a sudden it was "This is how you can get compensation" and there were a lot of things I didn't fulfil. Then I really fell between the cracks. There was no room for someone like me.

I had zero control and I was really caught between two stools.

How were you treated by authorities, employers, job centres and so on?

I met a caseworker at the budget and debt counselling service. She was great - "Of course we'll help you fill in an application here, what we need from you is this" and then she wanted documentation of all the debts you have.

How did you manage it? It takes quite a lot of time, doesn't it?

The budget and debt counsellor said that you didn't need an exact amount, as long as you knew exactly what you had to work with. And sitting in front of the computer going through debt collection stuff - if I hadn't decided to move on with my life, I would have tried to commit suicide again then because you feel so bad when you do that.

If I hadn't decided to live on, I would have tried to commit suicide again.

If I hadn't been as mentally strong as I was then, I would have ended up at the bottom again when I sat and did that. But now it was like "Yes, you've done this yourself" but it's not fun, it's a steel bath. And then you get a call from a caseworker and you get some follow-up questions. They want to know "Why have you got these debts?". It's not easy to say "Yes, but I'm a gambling addict".

But I haven't gambled away all that money, but the instant loans I've taken out have come about because I've tried to sort out the situation because I've gambled away too much money. Then when the debt collection claims pile up on the carpet by the door, you reach a limit and then you can't take it anymore.

What kind of support did you get when you joined Lumena? Did they tell you what support you could get?

They told me that they are Lumena but it is Samordningsförbundet Samsund with plus menu, You get much more help because it reaches out to several authorities and agencies.

Before, you said you had felt a sense of hopelessness - How did you feel once you got support from Lumena?

It has a lot to do with who I got as a tutor, she was really clear. She said: "There's only one purpose to this, and that's to help you, and whatever you need help with, I'm the one to help you with it". And then I felt like I could relax a bit. I still have to do some of the work, but on the days when I don't have the energy to do the work, my supervisor said "Can I have your contact details, and I'll call you to check the situation".

There is only one purpose for this, and that is to help you, and whatever you need help with, I am the one to help you with it.

When you joined the project, you were given the opportunity to influence and tell us what you needed. Before we started the interview, you told us that you were given job training. Can you tell us how this happened?

What happened was that my SE supervisor and I wrote a CV. Because the thing was that I had worked in the same place for 20 years so the CV is quite short. And she said "I know you're a social guy at heart" and I said "I can't work in a place where stress comes in". For example, when there are a lot of people on paydays. I've worked at Systembolaget before, Hemköp the same thing. She understood and said it was okay.

I've been playing guitar for thirty years and I've been in bands but I said I needed a break because I wasn't feeling well. I was so exhausted. My supervisor sent me a text message and said "There is an LSS home, daily activities in Järfälla. They are looking for people and they have music lessons every Wednesday, where you play guitar and sing. You are social, what do you say, should I call and check?".

"Absolutely" I said. I went there and was received like a dear old friend the very first time and I said "I'm in". And now I feel like a fish in water.

How is the job training organised?

I am on sick leave 50% and work Monday Wednesday and Friday. I will not be on sick leave 50% forever, it will be 25%. The work training ends in September but they have said "Just so you know we will keep you here". Now after the holidays the idea is that I will add a day, I work four days but a little less.

So there will be some employment in the future. Right now it's work training, but they've said "If you want to extend it, we want that too". Every month I report to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, they are the ones who decide whether to extend the traineeship.

Do you find the administration difficult?

Yes, I usually say it like this: "People should just realise how healthy you have to be to do this".

People should just realise how healthy you have to be to do this.

What is your life like today? We talked earlier about the economy, housing situation, care and contact with authorities compared to before the project.

I earn fifteen hundred bucks more a month than I did then. If you haven't earned anything for three years, 1500 kronor is quite a lot. The accommodation is what it is, we live here, we can afford it. I don't live in luxury but we have food for the day. And then there's the fact that once you've been at the bottom, you appreciate the little things.

Do you feel that you have gained more knowledge about your wellbeing and health?

I am free from the gambling addiction. It has eased the anxiety because I have nothing to be anxious about.

Praise for the project, is there anything we need to take away from the project?

The whole treatment has been good and I would like to give praise but I have none. I was the first in the project and I have no praise to give, I have nothing to compare with.